It seems that in the not too distance future children who want to watch their favourite TV programme will have to pedal to do so, according to recent research carried out at St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, New York. A researcher has developed a way in which our coach potato children can exercise, lose weight and still watch the TV. All at the same time!

Lack of exercise by sitting in front of the TV is the cause of over 55 per cent of overweight American adults, with over 13 per cent of children aged between sex and 17 being overweight and getting fatter each year.

Tests were carried out on 10 children aged eight to 12, all overweight. Six of the children were given TV cycles. These were exercise bikes linked to a TV set via a computer system. The only way to watch the TV was to pedal. The remaining four children were given a normal bike. After just a few weeks the results showed that the four who continued to loll in front of the TV and saw 20 hours a week, pedalled only 8 minutes a week. Whilst the six children given the TV cycles watched and pedalled one hour a week resulting in a two per cent loss of their total body fat. The report did not say what the children did instead of watching the TV! The researcher says this may not be a way of solving the world's obesity problems but changes in lifestyle, such as charging for the use of lifts, could certainly help. Research continues.

NB This site offers a conversion unit that allows you to convert a home exercise bike that allows the user to operate TV/Computer games.  This way kids (and adults) can have fun whilst exercising.

Check out the ViBike and Reebok Cyber Fit adaptors in the Home Equipment, Exercise Bikes section of this web site.